“A throne is just a bench covered with velvet,” said Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the great fans of this elegant fabric, as we can see in several films dedicated to this French soldier and politician, including Ridley Scott's film starring Joaquin Phoenix, which premiered a few months ago in Cannes and has decisively embarked on its path to the Oscars.
For this season, with their sights set on Christmas, many haute couture designers have presented their ideal velvet dress or suit on the catwalk, advocating at the same time the sensuality that this plush fabric provides and its intrinsic effect. trompe l'oeil.
Few fabrics represent the court better than velvet. “If we leave silk aside, we are looking at one of the most sumptuous fabrics in history. We can see this by walking through the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Many members of the Medici or the Sforza, the most important and powerful families of the Renaissance in Italy, were portrayed in suits, tight-fitting dresses or long velvet capes specially made by artisans in Genoa.
Their mastery of mastering this thick fabric was quickly surpassed by the Spanish weavers, who dominated the business until the 19th century,” says Maximilian Dunn, professor of anthropology at the prestigious Central Saint Martins school in London. Considered a luxury commodity, it has never ceased to bring prestige to those who wear it and to amaze those who contemplate it and that is why, even today, it is one of the favorites for red carpets and nights that require glamour, as they have demonstrated on multiple occasions by Nicole Kidman, Mandy Moore, Daisy Kelliher, Anne Hathaway, Alexa Chung and even Billie Eilish.
From sculptural necklines to cut-out dresses or hooded sweatshirts. “Velvet is an extremely versatile fabric and for these holidays the houses have opted for shades such as latte coffee, mustard, pinkish and even blue; all this without losing an iota of presence and luminosity.
The subtle effect that this fabric gives to every look and accessory, from jewelry to shoes or handbags, makes it continue to be the king of the party, as we saw in the seventies with Yves Saint Laurent, in the nineties with John Galliano or in the 2000s with Alessandro Michele at the head of Gucci,” explains the stylist for Grazia Italia and UK, Olivier Jordan. Just a few weeks ago and already under the tutelage of Sabato de Sarno, the Florentine brand par excellence, Gucci, launched its new it-bag, the GG Marmont, in velvet with gold details.
In our country we find several designers and brands that have firmly opted for velvet for these celebration dates, from the more naïve options of La Veste, the brand of Blanca Miró and María de la Orden, with trim suits, blouses and large removable necklaces. with transparent or embroidered details; to the midi or maxi dresses by Maksu and the Catalan Marta Martí, sculptural and vibrant in color; and Laia Allen's bow-shaped Bernatta bags.
In Italy, leadership is imposed by Forte Forte, with suits with frock-cut jackets. It is precisely in the transalpine country, specifically in Venice, where the friulane, velvet moccasins, were born, which the Cayumas brand has also popularized in our country, with models also in mule and Mary Jane styles. Piedàterre, with two stores in the city of canals, continues to maintain the essence of this shoe that became an icon in the 14th and 16th centuries, the so-called golden age of Italian velvet.
Inspired by this Italian tradition, the English Olivia von Halle, represented by Daisy Hoppen, a close friend of Alexa Chung and Harry Styles, has once again launched a Christmas collection on the market with velvet as a common denominator, both in slip dresses and coats. batin cut. Already in Belgium and in floral print, we find the Dries van Noten jackets with shoulder pads for women and men.
Finally, in Portugal, Hugo Costa paraded several relaxed-cut men's suits in this fabric at the Portugal Fashion in Porto, while Catarina Pinto, head of the Nopin brand, opted for fluid high-neck dresses that fit like a glove thanks to the natural fall of the material used.
Such is the relevance of velvet that at the next edition of Pitti Uomo, the men's fair par excellence that meets every January in the capital of Tuscany, the designers and creative directors Stefano and Corinna Chiassai will present a collection, installation and their corresponding book entitled Velvet my love, a project entirely dedicated to this fabric and its evolution thanks to new production and manufacturing projects that have never overlooked the allure of splendor intrinsic to this legendary texture.
“We like to work with historical materials, providing our know-how and the latest technology. Velvet has always been one of our favorite fabrics and that is why we want to give it the relevance it deserves in an installation that seeks to make the visitor feel like they are in an exhibition of Modern Art,” Stefano Chiassai tells us exclusively.
“Trends change constantly, but Christmas is associated with an iconography and color palette that we all easily recognize. Despite being a traditionally cold time - at least in Europe - bright lights and warm colors such as pinks and carmines or gold quickly come to mind," Carlota Ruiz and Marta Santana, founders of the interior design studio and architecture and the Your Living Space store, located in the Barcelona neighborhood of Gracia.
As their projects demonstrate, any corner of our homes, dressed in velvet and with elements that complement this noble fabric, will be distinguished by that elegance that predicts perennial memories. A good example of this are the chandeliers from the Scandinavian firm Hay; the Plec Mediana table, by designer Antoni Pallejà, in steel and marble; Westwing's new lighting creations; Missoni and Dolce cushions
